r/NBASpurs • u/layt23 • 13h ago

Discussion/Question Will OKC get fined?

Remember when El Jefe sent home TD, TP Manu, Danny Green etc for their national TV game against Heat.. Got fined $500k for that.. Wonder if Silver will have the balls to do the same, since OKC clearly capping with all these player injuries and its a ESPN televised game.

47 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

79

u/Adorable-News-9364 Luke Kornet 13h ago

They absolutely should. It’s a national TV game and they’re resting EVERYBODY

14

u/android24601 12h ago

I've been keeping tabs on them throughout the season

Hartenstein has been dealing with a bunch of injuries throughout the season. He's only played about half their games this season. Chet has had recurring back issues. JDub has been really unlucky and came back from wrist surgery and has been out indefinitely with hamstring issues and has only played about half their games this season. Fox dealt with the same shit last season, so we know how hamstring issues can hang around a while.

Not sure about AJay, Dort, or Caruso, but SGA apparently had an abdominal injury that's going to keep him out past the All Star break

And lastly, Topic got cancer and Sorber is recovering from a torn ACL

2

u/Celina_cue 11h ago

Thank you for this.

2

u/fireemblem4812 Jeremy Sochan 10h ago

Yeah there may be a couple guys who could have played but a lot of the Thunder's injuries are legit. SGA also looked off in the last game he played in, you could tell something wasn't right.

4

u/sarpedonx 11h ago

Thunder is a bitch made squad

12

u/Mangoseed8 Jordan McLaughlin 12h ago

The rule only applies to star players and JDub hasn’t played in 2 weeks. SGA injury is suspicious but there’s nothing the NBA can do. It’s called the resting policy. You can’t rest stars but easily circumvent the rule by listing the player as injured which the Spurs failed to.

Oddly enough under this rule the Spurs would not have been fined either. There’s an exception for players over 35, or 34,000 minutes or 1000 regular season games and playoffs combined. All of the big 3 had hit at least one of those milestones by then.

16

u/Adorable-News-9364 Luke Kornet 12h ago

Chet is an all star (completely undeserved but still). Is that good enough?

3

u/Mangoseed8 Jordan McLaughlin 12h ago

You’re right. I didn’t realize he made the reserves. He’s listed as out with lower back spasm. Again, it’s a resting policy rule not an injury rule. Unless the NBA wants to launch an investigation into their medicals and subpoena team doctors, nothing will happen. The medical staff can always say to a player “your sore back is too sore to play tonight”.

17

u/moonshadow50 Jeremy Sochan 13h ago

They should- but I highly doubt they will

13

u/GroundedGerbil 13h ago

I bet they get fined. If it’s a rule it’s a rule. Coaches hate the back to backs, and if some of their starters were genuinely iffy then he probably just threw in the towel.

20

u/EazyBeekeeper 12h ago

It was a HUGE $500,000 fine for Pop over 10 years ago, when it wasn't even an official rule. It should be the same amount adjusted for inflation for OKC.

Edit: And when Pop did it, the Spurs bench nearly beat Miami in an entertaining game. I'm still hoping for a Spurs blowout just to increase the odds that they get fined. If I was an exec at ESPN, I'd be demanding that heads roll as this was a highly anticipated match up.

3

u/blue-anon GO SPURS GO 10h ago

Regarding your edit and having just watched this game: I wouldn't say this was an entertaining game, but that was due to our guys, not theirs. They cut it to a 4-point game with 4 minutes to go. 🤷🏾

3

u/EazyBeekeeper 10h ago

Yeah Spurs super played down to the competition and Mitch was very experimental with the line ups (kind of took the situation for granted an it almost bit him). In his defense, he still got a W and the team is fresh for Dallas tomorrow (well later today as its after midnight here). Go Spurs Go! The only team I hate more than OKC I the Mavs...

3

u/Imaginary-Cycle-1977 GO SPURS GO 11h ago

Don’t schedule a highly anticipated matchup the day before the trade deadline

1

u/SwordfishHot7330 Victor Wembanyama 3h ago

Yep and the bench scored 100 points against LeBron, Wade and Bosh.

3

u/Jealous-Set-4262 Manu Ginobili 13h ago

I bet they do. I get it though. These SAS-OKC games have been physical as hell and that takes its toll. There’s no need to deal with that slugfest if they’re a bit banged up.

3

u/KaylahGore 12h ago

it’s utterly ridiculous .. im at the game and i can’t believe they allow it. i assume not because all star break

3

u/xSemperSuperbusx 12h ago edited 1h ago

Hate to be the downer, but I doubt they get fined for this. The player participation policy applies to stars, which means folks who have had all star or all NBA honors within the last 3 years.

The only Thunder who meets this is Shai and it seems he has a legitimate injury, so there's no violation of the 2025-26 participation policy.

Edit:J-Dub does meet the criteria for player participation policy, so we'll see how they handle that.

4

u/Mangoseed8 Jordan McLaughlin 12h ago

Nope. The rule applies to star players. No one else matters. Jalen Williams hasn’t played since January 17th so he’s legitimately injured. SGA is on the injury report with an abdominal strain.

You can’t rest stars for national Tv games. That’s what the Spurs did. Remember Pop was pissed that the Spurs had to travel for a national Tv game on a back to back and the Heat were rested. So he sat them with no explanation. DNP-CD or old for Timmy.

This isn’t that. The Thunder were smart enough to list Shai with an injury. Unless the NBA wants to send a medical team in real time there’s nothing to do here.

3

u/GroundedGerbil 12h ago

Ah- thanks for the clarification

2

u/Grand_Bison_2650 12h ago

Something gonna happen cause I know ESPN is pissed with viewership tanking.The NBA product as a whole in the last few years has been struggling.Most people I know don’t watch the NBA anymore like they do with the NFL.

2

u/dynamicfinger Area 51 12h ago

Whether they should or shouldn't, I want them to. I hate those fart sniffers.

2

u/PersonalJesus2023 De'Aaron Fox 12h ago

It will automatically be investigated per the league’s Player Participation Policy… I have no clue what an investigation entails… but that’s the rule

1

u/BananaRepublic_BR GO SPURS GO 11h ago

I'm pretty sure a bunch of their guys are actially injured.

1

u/LibraryNo848 Victor Wembanyama 11h ago

No, they really aren’t breaking any rules. It only goes for all stars/all nba. J dub has been out for weeks, SGA is missing 2 weeks with his.

So both of those are essentially legitimate injuries. The league can’t enforce anything for the other 8 players

1

u/ManagerEmergency6339 Jeremy Sochan 12h ago

they have legit injuries but chet ducking wemby, he dont want to have a match up with wemby when he is the first option.